Swimming in the Deep--------------------Type : EventCost : 1Subtype : Game Text : Action: Commit a [Cthulhu] character you control to a story, even if it is exhausted. Sacrifice that character at the end of the phase.Flavor text : Some parts of the lagoon were not safe to swim in. While there were no known predators, rumors of swimmers and sailors being pulled under were too frequent to be ignored.Illustrator : Scott PurdyCollector's Info : Terror in Venice F11

•Guardian PillarSupport - Dreamlands. Location. Mutable.Cost3If you control more Dreamlands support cards than any opponent, you may exhaust Guardian Pillar to commit it to a story as a character with 4 skill, , and Invulnerability.Search for the Silver Key F78 / Illustrator Raya Golden

Does Guardian Pillar’s (DreamlandsF78) ability allow it to be committedoutside of the normal phase whencharacters can be committed to stories?No, Guardian Pillar’s ability allowsit to be committed as a character to astory. This is during the normal timingwindow when characters are committedto stories

For card effects related to "commit", how do I differentiate between cards referring to the standard framework action of committing versus cards enabling commitment outside of the standard framework?

For instance, does Swimming in the Deep allow a character to commit a character during a player actions step, or does it enable an exhausted character to commit normally without exhausting during the standard 'commit characters' framework action?

Swimming in the Deep (Terror in Venice, F11) reads:Action: Commit a Cthulhu character you control to a story, even if it is exhausted. Sacrifice that character at the end of the phase

My take is that Swimming in the Deep lets a character (even an exhausted one) commit as an action, outisde of the normal commitment stage; based on its reference to "commit" in the present tense, and being an 'Action' (which can only be played and resolved outside the framework action of committing characters as attackers/defenders to stories). In which case, an attacker could use this card effect after all other characters were committed to stories to attack an undefended story.

Other examples where the word "commit" in present tense seems to force commitment at that moment, outside the regular opportunity to commit, are 'At Night they Roam' and 'Flush them Out', which in both cases instruct you to "commit" characters that would actually be exhausted and unable to commit in the normal manner (because they'd already exhausted to commit, or had just been restored from being insane, and were not readied before being instructed to "commit").

At Night they Roam (Terror in Venice, F17) reads:Play during the story phase.Action: Choose and take control of an insane character (if it is Night, instead take control of each insane character). Then, restore and commit that character to a single story. At the end of the phase drive that character insane and return it to its owner's control.

Flush them Out (Revelations, F2) reads:Play during your opponent's turn.Response: After your opponent has committed characters, choose a story. Uncommit each character at all other stories. Then commit them to the chosen story.

Other cards that also seem to commit a character outside of the normal framework action, also using a form of present tense in the form of "committed", include 'Cats of Ulthar' and 'Black Dog'.

Cats of Ulthar (Dreamlands, F116) reads:Action: During the Story phase, pay 3 to put The Cats of Ulthar into play from your hand, committed to a story of your choice.Action: Pay 1 to destroy 1 Zoog card in play. The return The Cats of Ulthar to your hand.

Black Dog (Revelations, F29) reads:Response: After an opponent commits exactly 1 character to a story, pay 1 to put Black Dog into play from your hand committed to that story. After that story resolves, if Black Dog is still in play, return it to your hand.

It's my observation that when a card effect refers to 'commit' in a future tense, then it's referring to the standard 'commit characters' framework action, as with 'Glaaki' and 'Y'Golonac'.

Glaaki (The Rituals of the Order, F78) reads:Response: After Glaaki commits to a story, choose a character. That character loses all icons and must commit to the same story as Glaaki, if able.

Y'Golonac (Core, F122) reads:Action: Pay 1 to choose and ready a character. That character must commit to the same story as Y'Golonac, if able.

------------ QUOTE ----------Damon Stone:Sorry, I’m super busy right now, the best I can give you is a very general way of discerning the answer,

If the card refers to committed characters, it is looking at the state of a card as currently being committed it does not care how it happens.

If it refers to a player committing characters it is looking for the framework action where a player commits their characters.

Cards that force commitment like Glaaki and Y’Golonac will force the player to commit the character through the regular framework action, if it is passed, or there is any effect preventing that specific character from committing it is not able so that part of the effect is ignored.

Machin qui a du mal à comprendre:Cats of Ulthar - refers to "committed", so must be outside commitment framework action

Damon réponse:Yes, but...It isn’t strictly the word, but how it is being used and what timing windows there are for its effect. It commits itself as an action because the card says to do so..

Explication complémentaire Damon sur Flush them out:"Response: After your opponent has committed characters during the commit framework action, choose a story. Uncommit each character at all other stories. Then commit them to the chosen story, without using the commit framework action or having to exhaust them because exhausting is a requirement to commit only during the commit framework action"